Our Perfect Gift to God

It was the best ultrasound I had ever had for one of my children. She jumped and waved and just seemed to be so excited that mommy and daddy could see her! The doctor said everything looks great - healthy baby, healthy mommy makes a doctor happy.

Our memory music box for our little one - Dorema

Four weeks later it was time for another routine check-up. I went by myself since my husband was in seminary and always very busy. He stayed home with the kids and did some homework. The doctor was just going to measure and listen to the heartbeat. Normal check-up.

They couldn’t find the heartbeat. The doctor was not expecting anything wrong. He said at 14 weeks it’s very unlikely I miscarried. I believed him and was calm until my baby came up on the screen and all of a sudden I knew. That sweet beautiful baby we had seen just four weeks prior was no longer bouncing and waving. She was still and nothing was moving. Not even a flutter could be seen. I had seen enough ultrasounds to know that my baby was gone. The doctor muttered something about how he didn’t know what happened and sometimes we don’t know what happened. He left and I wept. I didn’t know I could cry so many tears. . .

To read the rest of our story head on over to Hidden Treasures where I am guest posting for her series about miscarriages. 

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Helping Someone with Postpartum Depression

If you are struggling with PPD or if you think you are - TALK to someone. It will be the LAST thing that you will want to do but do it anyway. You will be glad you did! You can read my story about my struggle with PPD here.

Photo Source

If you know someone who you suspect may be struggling with PPD - I have made up a list of things that would have helped me whether at the time I wanted them or not. Just remember in whatever you do, do it to show God's love to this precious mommy and not because it's the "right thing to do."

1. Food/ Meals/ Snacks/ Cookies - bringing food to someone who is struggling with this is a HUGE burden lifted off of their shoulders because it helps reduce the things that they feel as though they are not accomplishing.

2. Clean their house - Call it a baby gift or something but give her a card on Sunday and say that you are giving her a few hours of house cleaning that week. Then ask what day would work best for her. Then go in with your own cleaning supplies so you don't have to bother her with getting hers out and clean bathrooms, vacuum floors, put odds and ends that are out of place in a box for her to sort out later, scrub kitchen floors, do the dishes. 

3. Don't stop by just to visit - Trust me, talking is the last thing on her mind so make sure that there is a purpose for your stop. And make it short and sweet. You don't want to pressure her into cleaning the house because you are stopping by.

4. Send a loving card of encouragement - Bible verses, love, and encouragement will go far and sending cards will be the best way that it will be received. If you know she is going to be a wonderful mommy - TELL HER! Trust me, she needs that encouragement!

5. Provide nap-time - Ask her what time of day the baby is usually awake and tell her you will be stopping by to love on that baby and let mommy get some sleep. THIS IS A TOUCHY one. Any time that you offer help directly with the baby can make her feel even more inadequate. So be careful and feel her out - don't force this one unless you can do it in a very loving way. You could even stress how special it will be for you to be able to love on the baby (but only if it is!). And when you get there - no chatting is necessary, just say "We'll be just fine, we're going to talk and play together and we will come and get you if the baby needs you!" Then stay in her house and care for the baby, but if the baby needs mommy AT ALL - get mommy.

6. Ask for a grocery list - Do her grocery shopping for her. Ask her for a detailed list and bring them to her house and put them away - if you can't figure out where it goes, put it on the counter. At least put the perishables away because honestly, she may not want to put them away or it could become too overwhelming for her and they could be left out for quite a while.

6. Kidnap Baby - This is a LAST resort step but can be very helpful in helping mommy get back in her groove. As you could see in my story, it was the one thing that made me realize that it was okay to let someone else help me with the baby and that I didn't have to do it on my own and my child would still be alive after someone else cared for her! Just make sure it's a very short time period.

7. Pray pray pray - This is always an incredible way to help someone. God knows and loves that special mommy and He gave her that beautiful baby for a purpose. Pray for her that God will give her an extra measure of grace to get through those rough times.

8. Love her and do not cast judgment on her. She is struggling and her body is chemically fighting against her in ways she has probably never experienced before. Don't expect thank-you's for your efforts right away. Someday the actions you did will mean a lot.

I know the women who helped me and forced their way into my life truly gave me hope when I had none!

In HIS Grip, 

               

I am linked up with: 

My Struggle with Postpartum Depression

Photo Source

God really laid it on my heart to share my story about my Postpartum depression. At the time, I was unaware of what was going on and this could be helpful for any of you that may be struggling with these same problems. Just realize that EVERY experience with PPD is different and unusual - my story is not the same as other women's stories. But here are some of the things that happened during my struggle with PPD.

• I was overjoyed to be a mom. But I was also devastated.
• I was happy. But I was also scared.
• I loved my baby. But I also resented her.
• I was prepared. But I was terrified I would mess it all up.
• I was a childcare professional. But I had no idea how to care for my child.

Within five minutes of coming home from the hospital I completely fell apart. I was exhausted of course and I had had a difficult time with the care in the hospital. But this was something more. My little girl had choked and thrown up more amniotic fluid out of her lungs. It terrified me and I realized that this little girl was now our responsibility - MY responsibility. And I no longer had a clue. I completely broke down and while cuddling with my now sleeping little girl, I sobbed myself to sleep. My husband stayed beside me completely surprised by my tears.

The weeks that followed are really a blur. My husband came and went and I was at home with this little girl who I loved but at times, I really had no idea how to do this mommy thing. People called me on my cell phone and I began to ignore it. I skipped church because I didn't want people to see what a failure I was. People would stop by and I would pretend to not be home. My husband would want to go do something together and I was too tired. I just kept curling inside of myself and crying. I have always been a crier but this was something else. Despair and confusion. God was far away to me.

Then one day a friend forced herself into my life and into my home. She recognized exactly what was going on because she had been there too. The thoughts that confused me so terribly and grated on everything that I thought I knew and believed were suddenly understood by someone who had thought those thoughts as well. She came in and brought food and gave me that listening ear. She called someone else when she couldn't be there to come and "kidnap" my baby for me and give me that needed break.

I felt like a failure when someone came and told me that I needed a break. I thought I was a terrible mom who couldn't hack it. I couldn't take care of my baby on my own. So when the sweet woman called and simply said, "Feed the baby and I will be there in fifteen minutes to bring her to my house for a couple of hours." I was mad, I was angry. How DARE she think she could do that! But my husband ever constant told me that she would be ok, and I would be ok. And then he used the magic words that I will never forget how much they helped. "We can clean up the house while she is gone."

That's what we did. We cleaned the house and I took a shower and suddenly all of the pressures that had been weighing down on me were slightly lifted and it suddenly seemed as if God was telling me, "Everyone needs help once in a while, who do you think you are to think you don't?"

The dark days were not over but once I realized that I was struggling with PPD and that I would need more help to get through these first days of my daughter's life, I knew I would be fine. I knew that God was in control and He would help me, sustain me, and help me be the mom that HE had called me to be.

If you are struggling with PPD or if you think you are - TALK to someone. It will be the LAST thing that you will want to do but do it anyway. You will be glad you did!

If you know someone who you suspect may be struggling with PPD - I will be posting a list of ways tomorrow that YOU can help and encourage her!

In HIS Grip, 

               

I am linked up with: 

   

Life Without Screens? Are you CRAZY?

This past week, Stinger Mama was silent, at least online! In my home, it was NOT so silent! We began No-Screen week with meltdowns. Monday morning was met with cries of hysteria from my children as soon as they woke up (at 6:30am) and discovered the TV was no longer in the prominent position in our living room. After quite a while of talking and calling my mommy, I was already beginning to rethink my decision to go without TV or computer for a week. 

But I realized that these very meltdowns are the reason WHY I needed to do this. Our dependency on those things had gotten out of control. 

I am going to be sharing a lot about our week throughout this week but I'm going to start out with a Cons list of going without out TV and computer to get started! 

CONS of having NO TV or Computer

1. NO in-home baby-sitter. This was probably the biggest problem I noticed. When mommy needed to get something done, I would turn on Netflix or a DVD to distract the kids and I would get my job done. So this week even making meals became more of a chore because my kids were all underfoot. Talking with my hubbie after he got home from work was harder because I had to share him with three other little ones!
2. I missed it. There were a few times where I was at a loss of what to do. Especially when one evening I was home alone without my hubbie after kids were gone. Especially when I had to stay home last night from church because my son and I got a barking cough. 
3. Laundry was BORING! I fold 7 loads of laundry all at one time and I usually watch a movie while I am doing it as a "reward" to myself for folding it. 
4. Less social involvement for this at times lonely mommy.
5. No resources - I don't have a picture of Lava to show my children! I don't have access to searching online for phone numbers, recipes, you name it! I don't have ACCESS! 
6. I had to be creative with ideas for keeping my kids occupied - like teaching my kids the game my sister and I played ALL the time when we were little - "THE FLOOR HAS TURNED TO LAVA!" Hence my need to explain to my kids what lava is. They were confused. The game became "DON'T TOUCH THE FLOOR OR YOU WILL DIE!!!!!" 

All in all, the cons were there and I'm being honest with you, it was hard at times and there were two times when I had to have a conversation with myself about NOT lugging the TV upstairs and plugging it back in. Which is why I was glad we decided to move it to the basement instead of just unplugging it. I would have cheated. Oh and by the way, I did cheat with the computer. I had to make a bulletin for our church for Sunday for the hubbie and I checked email once OKAY twice on my tablet. Yea, I know, I was convicted about it. Truly. 

Tomorrow I will share the Pros and if you have ever gone without TV or computer before, you probably already know what's coming but I didn't. I THOUGHT I knew what I would learn but I was surprised what really happened! 

In HIS Grip, 

               

Daddy Daughter Smiles

Daddy is causing this smile!

 My youngest, Emily, is infatuated with her daddy. She can be having a terrible, teething, crabby, fussy, no good day and as soon as daddy walks into her world - all of her worries and concerns fall away.

She does not do this for her mommy however. She loves mommy and I get the smiles and coos and lovings just like a mommy should from her baby. But compared to the smiles and coos that her daddy receives? You would think that mommy was dirt. Her face lights up like a blinking beacon to her daddy. None of my other children did this in this extreme to either one of us before Emily came along. 

Today I was holding my little sweetheart (of course she's still my sweetheart!) and I got a giant huge smile from her and we were giggling and playing and having fun together. And I was thinking to myself how precious it is that Emily looks to her daddy in that way. I may be slightly, a little, okay a LOT jealous of their relationship but I'm glad they have it. 

I was contemplating their relationship and that familiar still small voice whispered to me and said 

"I wish you would desire such a relationship with ME as you do with your daughter." 

This daddy loves his little girl! 

Then it was gone. But the words are forever burned into my heart. Even as I write this, my tears are flowing because I know these are true:

God wants me to look at HIM with adoration.

God wants me to forget all of my cares and concerns when I look to HIM. 

God wants me to reach for HIM when I want to play. 

God wants me to be overjoyed when HE does something amazing.

God wants me to spend time with HIM. 

Because He feels that same way about me. 

Have you spent time with your "Daddy" today? He wants to spend time with you! 

In HIS Grip, 

               

I am linked up with: 

        

Clean those LEGOS!

Whether found in the sandbox, under the bed or in Nana's closet (which is where we "found" ours!), Legos are KILLER to clean by hand. Think toothbrush and lots of soaking time. But if you have a dishwasher and a lingerie bag from your laundry room - WAY simpler!

It might take a while to dry because they get water trapped inside but they come out SQUEAKY clean and makes for a very, very happy Mama!

In HIS Grip, 
               
I am linked up with:     

My Miracle Three Year Old

My daughter was six months old and there I was staring at two pink lines on a stick. I couldn't believe my eyes! This wasn't supposed to happen! My husband and I were amazed and I remember saying to my husband "God must really want this baby in the world!" 

I got pregnant while nursing, without having anything close to a period since giving birth to my firstborn, AND we were using protection. I'll never forget the look on my doctor's face when I told him I was expecting. He asked me "How did THAT happen?" My son was a miracle baby and while I was not crazy at all about being pregnant again (I cried and not in a happy way either!) I was excited about my child. 

On October 8th he came into my arms and latched around my heart in a special mother - son bond that is even stronger today - his third birthday. 

He proved quickly to be a happy baby and very content that is until he got older! 

One Year Old

 Then he was ALWAYS HUNGRY! You would think that I was starving the poor boy the way he asked for food! But his hunger wasn't the only thing that grew. His heart grew too and he became the a sweet - tenderhearted little boy who is shy but loves everyone. Especially his sisters. 

Love his smiles! 

Then we got to the "fun" stuff, the stuff that will make me laugh for years to come! This little boy keeps me on my toes! Every time I turn around he is into SOMETHING! Whether its finger-painting the recliner with Lotrimin, painting the basement floor and his entire body with REAL paint, or running around the house outside with not a stitch of clothing, he always found SOME new way to get into trouble.  

He is my Cody, my tender, sweetheart of a boy that can make a hurting or sad Mommy smile with just one hug or kiss. I love you sweetheart! Happy third Birthday! 

In HIS Grip, 

               

Penny Jobs for Two to Four-Year-Old Kids

I LOVE my system of teaching my kids how to do extra chores around the house. It works GREAT for motivating my kids and it helps mommy out too! There are SOOO many benefits to doing it this way and I think Dave Ramsey would be proud! 

We do not call these chores. Chores are responsibilities that they have to do because it's part of being in a family. If you want to know what chores I have for my little kids, check out my post from yesterday. JOBS are things we do to get MONEY. Just like mommy and daddy for their jobs - well at least daddy does in our household! They must do the jobs WELL and with a good attitude or they do not get paid. Jobs are also something they VOLUNTEER to do, they are not required. I do ask them occasionally if they would like to do a Penny Job, but it is ok if they say no. 

I do not do Penny Jobs for one-year-olds because they don't understand the concept at this point. 

TWO-YEAR OLD Penny Jobs

• Dusting - super fun with a feather duster! 
• Picking Up Baby's toys
• Picking Up Laundry from a certain room and putting them in the hamper
• Picking Up all shoes and putting them in the appropriate places
• Sweeping with a Dust Pan and Brush under the Kitchen table after a meal
• Pick up books and put them on the shelf

THREE-YEAR OLD JOBS

• All of the two-year-old jobs
• Helping with Laundry - Mommy takes the wet out and they put it in the dryer, shut the door and start it. Mommy can get a second load going while they put the wet in! 
• Wiping the Bathroom Sink with a Disinfecting Wipe 
• Cleaning Toys with a Wipe
• Straightening the Area Rugs
• Scrubbing a dirty pan in the sink with a scrubbie (my kids LOVE to do this!) 

FOUR YEAR OLD JOBS

• All of the 2 and 3 year-old jobs
• Making Mommy and Daddy's bed
• Folding clean towels from the laundry
• Picking up toys outside
• Fix the books on the bookshelf with spine out
• Wipe the table after a meal 
• Catch them doing or helping someone do their chores or job, they get TWO pennies - but not if they tell you about it - doesn't count! 

So now that they have done their jobs and earned their pennies? What do we do with the pennies? They get to choose from three options! 

1. They can put them in the offering plate on Sunday morning. (I usually emphasize or encourage this on Saturday or even on Sunday morning). If they choose to do this - I put them in envelopes by the door to grab before church on Sunday. I grab the envelopes EVERY Sunday even if they are empty - so when they want to put money in the offering plate - they get their envelope to see if they put any pennies in their envelope. I've had some pretty SAD faces when they don't have anything to put in the plate on Sunday! 
2. They can save them. (This is rarely chosen because they are soooo young!) 
3. Or they can spend them on candy right away! 

So far - the piggy banks and purses are quite empty and this is quite full of pennies and empty of Peanut Butter M & Ms! Gum? Not a chance! This works well because they are learning to spend money for the things they want and when we're at the store and they want some trivial thing I ask if they have saved their pennies. Of course they haven't but they are learning that it costs money and hard work to buy things and that mommy and daddy are not going to fork it out for them because they work hard for their money too! 

We picked this gumball machine up at Toys R Us and I have been VERY happy with it! You can set it up to dispense candy without pennies but you have to take it apart to do that. It's too hard for them to turn by themselves and even if they DO find a penny somewhere and pull it off by themselves it only dispenses 1-3 pieces at a time (always a mystery!) so no worries about too much candy! I'm sure that as they get older and the chores are more substantial and the candy is not as gratifying, we will adjust our system but for right now - this works perfectly! 

In HIS Grip, 

               

CHORES for One to Three Year Olds!

Let me just say that I wish someone had told me WHEN MY OLDEST WAS A BABY that I needed to train my children how to help mommy around the house. Now I've figured it out and the third time is a charm so with my youngest child I know exactly what to do and when to do it! Maybe I can help you out BEFORE you get to that point! :0) 

ONE YEAR OLD:  This is when it starts! 

I teach them how to pick up their toys and put them in the toybox - encouragement and excitement about completing the 2-3 toy pickup is the key here! It's exciting and happy to pick up toys! 

When they learn to walk - dirty clothes go to the hamper. As soon as you take their dirty clothes off - send them with the clothes to the hamper. This works well for dirty diapers in the trash too - just keep an eye on the trash and make sure precious toys don't get thrown away too!

TWO YEARS OLD: 

"Clear the table" bring the perishables to me at the refrigerator - for example the ketchup and the sealed boxes of leftovers etc. Eventually as they learn to be more careful they should be able to bring their plates to the counter and other dishes to the counter. 

Cody has the Pillows and his Doggy Chore DOWN! 

Put their pillows and stuffed animals on their bed after I make the bed. But they are there with me, watching me make it - helps them know how to do it when they are old enough to do it! 

Dirty clothes go in the hamper as soon as THEY take them off! In other words, teach your children how to dress themselves - this will help a LOT when it comes to potty training too! I learned that one the hard way.

Directed Pickup: "Cody, put the Legos in the Lego box!" "Cody put your shoes in the shoe box!" This is when you are RIGHT there watching and guiding their pickup skills. (Works perfectly for nursing moms!)  At this age, they can get frustrated easily if the job seems too big or too widespread. Cleanup needs to be fun while it still can so if they get frustrated teach  them to ask for help and help them do it and choose something else next time. When needed, I clean the rest of the room but they are there with me being directed their own tasks. This way, they see how mommy is doing it and learn how to do it themselves. 

THREE YEARS OLD:

Helping their younger siblings do the things they already know how to do. I have been AMAZED to watch my oldest help teach my son how to do things. It helps them develop responsibility for each other too! 

Make their bed by themselves. Yes, it can be done! Start out slow and gradual and teach them how to find the corners of the bedding and pull it up to meet the corners of the bed. Then smoothing lumps, etc. KEY: DO NOT FIX IT AFTER THEY HAVE DONE IT! They already know how mommy makes their bed by watching and seeing you do it. They know the standard and someday they will make it the way you want it made. Don't hurt their feelings by "fixing" it when they have done what they can. 

Scrape food scraps off plates and clear the table. This was quite interesting when my daughter first started doing this. We had plates in the trash, silverware in the trash and everything! But it wasn't long before she learned how to balance the plate and scrape the food and put the dishes on the counter for me. I was right there putting them in the dishwasher and eventually she was putting them in the dishwasher for me. 

Four Years Old and Making MOMMY's BED! TA-DA!

Cleaning their room. Because Aimee has been picking up toys since she was one and she learned by watching me and by my directions how to pick up toys and where they go - this is possible! However, if the mess is too large and it isn't maintained every day you may need to help. AND THAT'S OKAY! Teach them to always ask for help if they need it. 

Now I have a FOUR YEAR OLD and I'm still figuring it all out! Right now I'm teaching her how to make mommy's bed and how to put clean dishes away but I'm sure there is more that my four-year-old can learn how to do that we're still figuring out!

Tomorrow I will be posting about Penny Jobs - these are EXTRA chores (but we don't call them chores because you don't get PAID to do chores - you get paid for working a JOB!) around the house that they receive a reward!

Linked Up Here! 

Do you have a chore system for your household? 

In HIS Grip, 

               

Our Homeschool Curriculum

In my opinion, choosing curriculum is one of the most challenging and potentially frustrating parts of homeschooling. I was home-schooled and my mom would get out all of her catalogs and just POUR over them for EVER! She was extremely picky and very good at picking out the best stuff. However, sometimes the curriculum just did not fit. I switched Grammar curriculum 3 times and it was so confusing trying to get the right one that it wasn't until I went to college that I finally grasped the concepts. 

But that was BEFORE! Now us home-school moms are BLESSED! We have so many resources at our fingertips! There are curriculum swaps and homeschooling conferences and FACEBOOK! So that's what I did. I had a shout-out on Facebook and asked if anyone had used the curriculum I was interested in. I had 4 of my friends who had used it and HIGHLY recommended it and now I highly recommend it too! I use My Father's World.

I can only vouch for the Kindergarten curriculum but let me tell you - this is GREAT! It's set up for a six-day week but the sixth day is primarily a book day. Which my kids LOVE! Each week is assigned a letter and each day of the week has different emphasis -- Introducing the letter, Handwriting, Math, reading/phonics, Art. But while having different emphasis, every day works on identifying and understanding the sound the letter makes as well as blending the sound with other letters. 

Not only does each week have a letter but it has a topic for each week. For example O- Octopus. So each day has different lessons relating to the topic. Presenting information about sea creatures, Making a hand octopus, coloring a map of the world and showing the blue ocean, go on an ocean outing or start an aquarium, creating an ocean mural. Then on book day it recommends 3 different books and a guide for each book. 

This works perfectly for me because I struggle with IDEAS! I am not blessed with the gift of teaching but I can use other people's ideas with no problem! 

I painted the letters to further define them! 

The ONE thing I'm not really crazy about is it doesn't follow the alphabet - for example the first week is S. This all works out when it comes to blending letters to make words but kind of different. 

I only bought the curriculum, I did not buy any of their extra things - but you will want something for the textile letters. I had ABC bath toys and they work great! And they are fairly cheap at Wal-Mart. It gives a hands-on experience that I can tell is helpful. 

So there it is - my curriculum for my kiddos! I am using it for both my 4-year-old and my 2-almost-3-year-old. I don't know yet if I will use My Father's World curriculum every year - I'll have to see what people say! 

WARNING Signs are EVERYWHERE!!! HELP!

Have you ever noticed how many WARNING signs there are on things? They are ALLLLLL OVER!!! They seriously irritate me. Especially the foolish ones. Like this. 

I would REALLY like to know exactly WHY I am supposed to supervise this thing all day. I have enough to do with watching my kids much less their TOYS!!! 

And uh-oh! Emily fell asleep on it the other day! I'm definitely going to jail for THAT one! 

And while my child is being used, I cannot leave her unattended. Ookaaay??? 

You have to question these "Cautions" don't you? Why are they REALLY there? Is it for my child's safety? Well since they are okay with me USING my child - I somewhat doubt it. (Yes, I know that's not what they MEANT! but that is what it SAYS!)  Let's face it - there are a TON of warning signs out there that are not for the benefit of the reader of the warning sign. They are for the benefit of the WRITER! The person or company who put the WARNING sign out there in the first place! Gone are the days of people selflessly putting out a sign so they can avoid the same thing happening to someone else. Now we are cautioned against foolishness so we cannot BLAME someone else. How ridiculous is this? 

We have suddenly become a culture that believes it is okay if not completely ACCEPTABLE to BLAME others for our own foolishness or sin. 

We blame our parents for not raising us properly. 

We blame our government for messing up society. 

We blame our pain on the doctor. 

We blame our medicine for making us crabby and angry.

We blame our lack of sleep for our rotten attitudes. 

We blame GOD for the evil in the world. 

Wait a minute back up here. What are we doing blaming GOD? He is the one who gave us the REAL warnings! 

God gave us God's Word so we would read the warnings that will protect us. The warnings like 

"the wages of sin is death" - Rom 5:8 

God will reward according to your works - Rom 2:6

 the book of Proverbs contains NUMEROUS warnings for fools and children and parents. 

and COUNTLESS others.

We receive warnings every day from man - mail, internet, facebook, our toys, books, shoes, you name it - it most likely has a warning SOMEWHERE! If not attached to it - you can most likely find a warning online! 

So what do we do with the warnings from God? Sometimes we do the same things to His Word! We may not throw it in the trash but we see it and don't read it. We put it aside or store it away or ignore it completely. 

But these warnings are FROM GOD!!! He wants us to read them! They are truly for our GOOD and HIS glory! How many warnings do we see in every day life that are truly for our benefit? How many warnings are there that are truly for God's GLORY? 

Today's post is linked up with these wonderful blogs! 

Rainy Day Activities for Kids

SOMETIMES. . . my kids drive me CRAZY!!! It may be on a rainy day or a sunny day. Unexpectedly it seems as though they are CONSTANTLY underfoot and chattering incessantly and my brain starts to twitch and my heart wants my mouth to begin yelling at my children. Which doesn't help whatsoever, I've learned but for some reason I'm tempted to do it anyway. SOOO when those times happen, I need to come up with a solution for those "rainy moments!"

Indoor Tent
I don't have a picture of this but I grab some utility clamps and a couple of bedsheets and either drape them over my kitchen table or attach them to my piano or the back of the couch - wherever they will be out of MY way! This has occupied my kids for at least 20 minutes at a time! WOW! Really this is a LONG time in my house!


Puppet Stage
I just came up with this idea and I think I'm a genius! I took one of those curtain rods that are spring loaded and I took a curtain that I was not using and put it about an inch higher than my daughter's head in a doorway. Ta-da! Puppet stage! They were thrilled! Of course, they enjoyed mommy's puppet shows better than their own but they still had fun doing it for each other too. I might go out on a search for how to make some more puppets for my kiddos. But not today! The puppets from the Dollar Tree will work for a while!

Go on a Rain Walk
We don't have a vehicle while my hubbie is working his part-time job so in order to go to the Post Office, we all walk there. Yesterday it was rainy but I was expecting a package so when a lull in the weather came I decided to go ahead and go. Sure enough as soon as we got shoes on and Emily ready, it started a nice steady rain again. Needless to say it was a rather nice rain so we went ahead and went to the Post Office! The postmaster looked at me as though I had lost my mind but it really was fun! My kids were given permission to splash in the puddles and catch rain in their mouths (what?) and we sang "Rain, Rain, Go Away!" Oh, and my package wasn't there but oh well!

Color the Windows! 

Excuse me? You might say. But really this is kindof fun! Give your kids a dry erase marker and let them color the windows! Or you could draw a design and let them erase it - either way it keeps them occupied doing something creative. You can also write Bible verses on windows above your sink to help you memorize them or leave sweet notes to your hubbie on the bathroom mirror!

Rotate Toys
We have too many toys - which in my opinion if its difficult for the kids to pick them up on their own - we have too many. So I grab a big storage tote and box up some of their favorites! Yes, their favorites. Then when they are all underfoot I sit them down with a snack or something and grab another storage tote and go to their rooms and box up another box of favorite toys. THEN after their snack I tell them they have a surprise in their rooms. Ta-da! NEW TOYS!! Works like a charm! Until they get old enough to realize that some of their toys go missing that is! That first box is the hard one!

What "rainy day activities" have you done? And don't forget to check out my giveaway happening now!

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